The Making of James Novak
by teamfreewill82
Summary: This is for the true fans of Misha Collins, the ones that stalk him in everything he's ever acted in... including one episode of Charmed. This is my crossover take on that particular episode, and how I believe it All really happened. [Oneshot] [Halliwell sisters/Eric Bragg]


**Disclaimer:** **I don't own** _ **Supernatural**_ **or anything pertaining to it; only my writing. I don't** _ **Charmed**_ **or anything pertaining to it; only my writing. All rights go to their respective owners.**

 **A/N: Set during** _ **They're Everywhere**_ **, season 2** __ **of** _ **Charmed**_

It was times like this when the Halliwell sisters were thankful for the powers they had so long ago despised.

After about five seconds of internal implosion, the Collectors were engulfed in a ball of flames, disappearing in an explosion that was rather anticlimactic when compared to the buildup itself. (Not that this stopped Piper and her elder sister's muscles from collapsing in relief.) Prue looked to Piper.

"You know," she said, "they really shouldn't have given us the finger."

Piper, her eyes still glued to the spot the Collectors had stood moments before, muttered, "You read my mind."

A few meters away lay Phoebe, just waking up in a daze as she rustled on the leaf-strewn ground. Her sisters hurried over to help her, and she stared at them. "Prue, Piper, what…?" They knelt beside Phoebe and held her hands, holding her in a sitting position.

"Are you okay?" Piper asked her.

"What—? I think so," Phoebe managed. "But uh, what are we doing in the park?"

Prue's eyebrows drew together in a glance at Piper; she looked back to Phoebe with worry in her eyes. Further away, Eric was also returning to consciousness, and Phoebe leaned into her sisters. "Who're those people?"

"You don't recognize Eric?" Prue questioned, glancing at the boy and his father.

"No." Phoebe's expression indicated that she honestly had no idea what was going on or who the men were; she looked confused and a bit frightened. "Why? Should I?" The girls helped their sister to her feet and she looked between them, her tone becoming panicked. "Should I?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Piper asked hesitantly.

"Uh…" After a moment of thought, a grin appeared on Phoebe's lips, and she told Piper proudly, "The Halloween party."

Piper grimaced. "That was three weeks ago." Phoebe's smile dropped into a frown as well as Prue went over to Eric and Ben.

Still groggy, Eric was rubbing his eyes as Prue bent down to help him up. "You alright?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he told her. "I'm uh, fine—just a little confused." Covered in leaves, Eric glanced around, his eyes squinted against the sunlight. "What am I doing here?"

"You don't recognize her?" Piper asked, referring to Phoebe standing beside her. Eric looked to Phoebe, no recognition in his eyes, but his confused expression softened upon noticing her beauty.

"No…" He slipped back on his vest as he recalled, "Wait, I think I've seen you at the hospital."

"Who's the cute guy?" Phoebe murmured to her sister.

"Sh." Prue was helping Ben stand as he looked at her, bewildered, and Eric was just as lost. He turned to face Prue and at that moment saw his father. Prue, wearily, walked back over to her sisters.

"Dad?" Eric said in disbelief.

"Eric!" Ben said, holding out his arms for the taller boy.

"Oh my God!" his son exclaimed. "You—you're better!" The sisters watched this, all with smiles, though Phoebe was smiling more about Eric being so adorable.

"What's going on?" Ben asked Eric, who shook his head.

"I—I don't know."

"Did we do something good?" Phoebe asked her sisters through her smiling teeth

" _You_ did something incredible," Prue confirmed. Phoebe's grin widened impishly and she pulled Piper and Prue to her sides in a hug, happy that the two guys (of whom she had no clue the identities of) appeared to be happy.

"You wouldn't let us leave without Ben. And because of that, we saved both of them," Prue concluded. They were huddled in their kitchen back home while Eric and his father caught up in the living room.

"Gosh. I can't believe I don't remember all this," Phoebe said, pressing her hands together.

"Yeah, we can't either," Piper agreed. "It must've been the Collectors; when they wiped your minds, you didn't get all your memories back. But, thank _God_ you guys are alive."

"So" Phoebe added, after a second, "what're we going to do about Eric and Ben?"

"What d'you mean?" Prue said, folding her arms over her chest.

"Well, from what you guys told me, isn't he a target?"

Piper shook her head. "Your memories were erased, Phoebe."

"That doesn't mean whoever wants the Akashic records is just going to give up that easily," Phoebe protested.

Prue breathed out, the palms of her hands pressed against the counter. "Phoebe's right," she had to admit. "They won't be sidetracked by something so insignificant as memory. They could torture Eric or do whatever they want to try and bring the information back." Prue glanced between her sisters. "They'd both be killed."

"So, what d'you propose we do?" Phoebe repeated.

"If we're worried Eric is still in danger, we have to put him _out_ of harm's way," the eldest sister told them, "or, at least, _somewhat_ out of harm's way."

"And how do we do that? Get him out of town?" Piper asked sarcastically.

"Yes," Phoebe said, surprisingly serious. "We explain what's going on and get him the hell out of Dodge."

At first, of course, Eric didn't believe the girls when they said they were witches. Who would? They had to prove it, and then they were worried Ben would have a heart attack. It was fortunate that he didn't, and the Halliwell sisters were able to explain what needed to happen in order for he and his son to be safe.

"I've got to _what_?" Eric demanded. "Okay, first you tell me you're— _witches_ , and that some demons took my memories, and now you say I have to leave my home because, even though they're dead or exorcised or whatever, I'm _still_ in danger?" Eric was aggravated and pacing, his face pink.

"I know, it sounds crazy—" Prue tried, holding her hands up in a way she hoped would calm him.

" _Crazy_? Crazy doesn't even begin to cover it," Eric said. "It sounds like an episode of _The X-Files_! I can't just leave everything I have here—"

"Eric, listen to me," Phoebe said. "If you don't leave San Francisco, you _will_ die. You'll lose more than an apartment." Her frank tone shut him up, and she sighed. "What're you going to do? Live with us the rest of your life until that thing comes back? Because that's what it would take to be at all prepared for him. That's no life. You have got to start over with your father somewhere new. It's your only chance."

Eric shook his head and shoved his hands through his hair angrily. "This—this isn't happening," he muttered as he walked back and forth, then slumped onto the chair. He looked to his father. "Dad, what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to be safe," Ben managed through his dry throat. "And if that means starting fresh, well… That doesn't sound like such a bad deal to me."

Eric rested his head in his palms, trying to think, then looked back to the girls. "Okay. I'll do it," he finally agreed. "Where do we start?"

The sisters shared looks but nodded at Phoebe to begin. "Okay. Here's how it's going to work…"

"James Novak, intern at the radio station WJBC A.M. in Pontiac, Illinois," Phoebe read from their note sheet. (They had managed to convince Eric that he would move up in his job.) The girls examined their work: they had dyed Eric's hair black, causing his somewhat tan skin to appear paler and his eyes—actually a handsome shade of dark blue—to shine brighter. His father was now Gregory, a retired lawyer. It was all planned, down to every last detail, and by the time their new identities were complete, another day had arrived. And that was all of them working at top speed to verify papers, do hair, buy a small but decent house in Pontiac, and contact the boss at the station to organize an interview for 'Jimmy.' Fake files and information, with the small use of magic, was projected into different systems. It was all ready. They were ready.

"Okay," Phoebe said, "now, you can't contact us, okay?" Eric looked at the ground. "I know this is beyond hard, Eric, I do. But we'll keep an eye on you inconspicuously. Please don't put yourselves in situations you don't need to be in."

"Maybe finally getting out of here will allow us to return to church," Ben added to his son. Eric nodded, his hand on his father's shoulder as they all walked to their new car.

"You go to church?" Piper asked.

Eric nodded once more in response. "Yeah, we used to go all the time. My mom loved it, so after she died we went for her, but after Dad was attacked… I'd stopped going. Now, in light of what I think could be considered a miracle, I think we might have to start going again. I may have just rediscovered my faith in the big guy upstairs."

"That's really great," Prue said. "I hope you two can find happiness in Illinois." Her sisters nodded in agreement.

"Me too," Eric said. He opened the car door and helped his father inside, then faced Phoebe. The other two Halliwells grinned at each other, mind reading unnecessary in that moment, and went to stand on the porch steps. "So. This is it," Eric stated.

"Yeah. Guess it is." There was a pause. "Look, Eric—" Phoebe tried, at the same time Eric said her name. The pair laughed awkwardly.

"I want to thank you, Phoebe, truly," he said. "From what I hear, you were good to him at the hospital when not many others would have bothered."

"It's my job. And besides, wasn't a strain on me," Phoebe assured him.

"You must be an angel," Eric said, grinning at her.

Phoebe shook her head and laughed. "No, I'm no angel. But I could probably introduce you to one if you'd like." She grinned and Eric laughed, glancing at his shoes.

"We'll have to see, won't we?" He paused, looking into her eyes for a moment before continuing, "Goodbye, Phoebe."

"'Bye, Eric." She hesitantly lifted her hand to his shoulder and stood on her tiptoes to press a light kiss to his cheek. She gave him one last smile before bouncing back on the balls of her feet. He returned the smile and murmured another goodbye before heading around to the other side of his new car. She saw him slide onto the seat and buckle up, smiling fondly at Ben as he turned the key in the ignition.

 _No, Prue. We_ all _did a good thing_ , Phoebe thought to herself, watching the truck pull away. _And I swear, this guy better not mess it up…_


End file.
